‘Case Against Adnan Syed’ Producer Amy Berg Strikes First-Look Deal With Fremantle

Manori Ravindran
·2 min read

Fremantle has struck an exclusive first-look deal with Oscar- and Emmy-winning documentary filmmaker Amy Berg.

Under the agreement, Berg’s Disarming Films and Fremantle will jointly develop a slate of documentaries, with Berg working closely with Fremantle’s global head of documentaries Mandy Chang to produce premium projects.

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Berg’s company, Disarming Films, has been producing documentary features and docuseries for broadcast for over a decade. Berg produced “The Case Against Adnan Syed” for HBO and is currently working on a special follow-up episode set to premiere this fall. Other projects include “We Are: The Brooklyn Saints” (Netflix), “Dogs” (Netflix) and “Keep This Between Us” (Freeform). Her latest film, “Phoenix Rising,” premiered at Sundance Film Festival in 2022 and on HBO and HBO Max.

The deal marks the first of its kind under Fremantle’s dedicated documentaries division. The super-indie will provide Berg with editorial and production expertise. Details about the first project from the deal are forthcoming.

Jennifer Mullin, global CEO for Fremantle, said: “We are delighted to be partnering with Amy on this landmark deal, which further demonstrates Fremantle’s commitment to the documentaries genre and our ambition within it. Amy and her team at Disarming Films share the same passion and ambition to tell compelling and diverse stories from across the globe and we look forward to working closely with them.”

Berg added: “We’re delighted to be joining forces with the incredibly talented team at Fremantle. Led by Mandy Chang, we know Fremantle will not only offer fantastic support, and creative freedom, their extensive international infrastructure and expertise will provide Disarming Films with the platform to have our work seen around the world.”

Change said: “It is a thrill and an honor having this opportunity to work with Amy, whom I have long admired and respected. She is a hugely regarded and talented filmmaker with a great body of work behind her. I’m excited about the collaborations between Fremantle Documentaries and Amy and the team at Disarming Films. We’re already in discussions about some brilliant projects so watch this space.”

Fremantle’s recent premium feature doc slate includes “Mrs. America”; “Kim’s Video,” which had its world premiere at Sundance in January; and new fashion series “Kingdom of Dreams.”

The company recently took majority stakes in doc companies including 72 Films (“All or Nothing: Arsenal”), Silvio Productions (“Shadow of Truth”) and Wildstar Films (“America the Beautiful”).

(Pictured, L-R: Jennifer Mullin, Amy Berg, Mandy Chang)

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